Scouts New Gay Policy: It’s Complicated

I awoke with a start, warm in my bivy at Camp Geronimo, opened my eyes, and looked up into the dark black sky bursting with stars.

Through a whispering grove of Ponderosa Pine trees, surrounded by song of cricket and cicada, Scouts asleep in their tents after the day’s numerous activities, “Damn!” I exclaimed silently to myself, “I can no more quit Scouting than I can quit breathing!”

I’ve been in Scouts forever. My son and I are both Eagle Scouts, Order of the Arrow, and my grandson is a Tiger Cub.

Not that I didn’t want to quit. After that sudden, ridiculous ‘Gay Day’ vote, when the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America decided to allow openly gay boys, I was beside myself.

What was the Executive Committee thinking? On what basis did they decide this idea was safe, respectful and institutionally feasible? None, apparently. No evidence was presented of any such consideration. Instead, they conducted an opinion survey and just … decided.

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